OSU’s Bruni selected by Nationals in MLB Draft

Ohio State baseball southpaw Gavin Bruni was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 17th round, with the 500th overall pick, of the 2024 MLB Draft last Tuesday.

Bruni is the 118th overall draft pick, dating back to 1966, in Ohio State baseball program history. Bruni is the first player since Matt Buirley in 1996 to be drafted by the Washington Nationals organization; Buirley was drafted when they were the Montreal Expos.

Bruni (Alliance HS/Alliance, Ohio) was a mainstay in the Buckeyes' starting pitching rotation the last two seasons, starting 26 of 27 games played between 2023 and 2024. His best season came in 2023, when he compiled a 5-3 record over 14 starts and fanned a career-high 74 batters in 57.1 innings pitched. He finished that season with a career-best 4.87 ERA.

During the 2024 season, Bruni went 3-3 with 54 strikeouts in 54.1 innings tossed. He had a 6.19 ERA.

In his three seasons with the Buckeyes, Bruni made 35 appearances on the mound, including 29 starts. He struck out 140 batters over 119.1 innings pitched. He had an 8-6 record and a 5.73 ERA.
 
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